Health writer and food expert Claudia Ehrlicher give us her top 8 food suggestions to blast through your cold and flu symptoms during the winter season..
From Icepops to Garlic here are her top 8 super foods to help you get rid of your cold or flu and feel more like you again.
– Water, herbal infusions, fruit teas: drink plenty and aim for 8 glasses of fluid per day. Try hot water with honey (to coat a sore throat) and lemon (to help with swollen throat tissues and fight off virus cells). Good hydration is important to help keep mucus thin and help lessen congestion. Avoid dehydrating drinks such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
- Fruits, vegetables and juices: plenty of vitamin C to reduce cold symptoms and strengthen the immune system. Aim for 5-a-day as suggested by the British Dietetic Association.
Strawberries, citrus fruits, broccoli and peppers are good sources of vitamin C -
Chicken soup: studies suggest benefits in improving some of the common symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat and chills. Chicken soup is hydrating and nourishing, may increase nasal airflow due to inhalation of vapours and may loosen respiratory secretions enhancing their removal. Check out Bone Broth soup recipe.
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Lean protein from e.g. turkey, chicken, lean meat, tofu and beans: a good protein intake is essential for the function of the immune system. See Jordan Lohan’s recipe for Black Quinoa Chicken “Coal”
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Garlic – try to add plenty of fresh garlic into your diet. It helps fighting the symptoms of colds and flu and also fights free radicals.
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Foods rich in vitamin B5 and zinc e.g. fresh vegetables, whole rye and whole wheat flour, eggs, brewer’s yeast, salt water fish, mushrooms, nuts and royal jelly. They promote antibody production and help the body fight against infections
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Ice lollies/Ice pops: they can soothe a sore, dry, swollen or prickly throat and also help to keep you hydrated. Make sure they are made from 100% fruit juice and not sugar water.- Ginger: fresh or powdered and added to food or enjoyed as a tea. This home remedy can soothe stomach ache and nausea and can help fight inflammation as studies suggest. Check out Jordan Lohan’s Butternut Stew, with Ginger
Claudia Ehrlicher is a certified dietitian with a real passion for food, teaching and motivating people to lead a healthy life. She regularly writes on Healthspan’s Nutrition Expert and London Dietitian.
